Connecticut western news., 1887-01-26
HELD UP ON A TRAIN.
Int Story as Told by "Ouo of the Cownr,Is.'
From the Detroit Free Press.1


 Five or six years ago was booming along over an Arkansas railroad, and the time was il o'clock p. m. The one sleeper on the train had every berth taken, and the two passenger coaches were pretty we'll filled with men, women and children. There were twelve men in the sleeper. Of these eight had their wives along. l had a revolver, and I presume most of the other men had. We were all asleep, and the train had stopped at watertank in lonely spot, when three desperadoes boarded the train. One got on between the two passenger coaches, threw open both doors, and standing on the platform in such way that he could guard both coaches, he shouted:
 ''Now, then, the first one who makes a move will get dose of buckshot" He had double barrelled shotgun, and had he fired into either car three or four or five people must have been hit. The SC ond robber got on betv cen the last coach and the sleeper and the third on the rear platform of the sleeper itself. Both doors of this last car were thrown open together and the two men entered from opposite ends. We were awaken ed from sweet slumber by one of them calling:
 "Now, gents, turn out your valuables We don't want to hurt nobody, but if trigger is pulled we'll open fire on the whole carp
 Well, now, what would that belliger- 1 cnt editor have done under the circum- stances2 They were desperate men, bent on desperate work, and held human 1 life as worth no more than a pound of dog-meat. His revolver would have been in hls pantaloons at the foot of the berth, as mine was, His wife would have begged him for Gods sake to give up everything, as mine did, and as all | the other wives did. He would have realized, as we all did, that no revolver 1 could be poked out from behind the curtains without being seen in second, and that one single shot from any one of us would have exposed each side of the | car to fusilade of buckshot. It would have been the same had we been up and dressed and in our seats. There would have been a man to face us and another | behind our backs. Just take seat on chair and see how quick you can p Il pistol from your hip,pocket Note the ! movements you have to make, and then ssert, If you dare, that you could get the drop on two men whose hawk eyes were watching the move of every finger.
 The conductor and baggageman and | brakeman were in the baggage car. They all had revolvers, but they saw at once that q shot from them would be the death of three or four passengers. A bullet may miss by hairs breadth buck shot can't help but hit.
 The two men came down the car, each with his gun in his left hand, and knife and revolver in hls belt, and stopped at each berth. I had $1s5 and gold watch and diamond pin. My wife hid $135 of the money and the watch a d pin before the fellows got to us handed out the other fifty, and as it was crumpe!ed up it looked like big roll. l "All right-that's business!" chuckled the man as he received it. "Now fol your tickers."
 "Ncver had one"
 ooh, you didn't! I'll look for tha as come backr'
 l In this way the two fellows passed each other, taking whatever was handed out, and as they reached the ends of thu car one of them fired a shot which wen through the roof, and next moment they were off. No one in the passenge coaches had been robbed, and no one or the tram had been injured. Why? Be cause all had exhibited common sense That so called bravery which the edito referred to sighs for, might have tempted some one to fire his pistol. The resul would have been the killing of half o us. Those men boarded the train witt the determination to kill whoever resist ed them, and they probably would hav' done it.
 And let me say that among the "cow ards" in that sleeper were five ex-arm, officers, a Mississippian who had tough three duels, and two or three other mel who would have shot down the man wh impugned their bravery.